Cambridge House
is a grade I listed mansion on the northern side of Piccadilly (Number 94) in central London, England, named after one of its owners, the Duke of Cambridge, 7th son of George III. It has also been known as Egremont House, Cholmondeley House, The Naval and Military Club, and the In and Out Club.
The house was built for Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, by architect Matthew Brettingham in the parish of St George Hanover Square in 1756-1761. It was initially known as Egremont House. The house is in a late Palladian style. It has three main storeys plus basement and attics and is seven bays wide. As is usual in a London mansion of the period the first floor (second floor in American English) is the principal floor, containing a circuit of reception rooms. This floor has the highest ceilings and its status is emphasised externally by a Venetian window in the centre.
The house changed hands several times. For several years in the 1820s it was occupied by George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley and known as Cholmondeley House. From 1829 to 1850 it was the London residence of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, and became known as Cambridge House. Due to his royal status, that name has persisted.
After the Duke died in 1850, the house was purchased by Lord Palmerston, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for most of the decade from 1855 to 1865. It was his London residence and the site of many splendid social and political gatherings. After Palmerston's death at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire in 1865, his body was taken to Cambridge House from which his funeral procession departed to Westminster Abbey.
Shortly after Palmerston's death, Cambridge House was purchased by the Naval and Military Club, which had outgrown its previous premises. The Club came to be known as the "In and Out", from the prominent signs on the entrance and exit gates of 94 Piccadilly. Members included TE Lawrence and Ian Fleming.
In 1999, the Club moved to new premises, having sold Cambridge House in 1996 to entrepreneur Simon Halabi for £50 million. Halabi planned to convert the property into a private members club and hotel, part of his Mentmore Towers project, and to build a swimming pool and squash courts underneath the forecourt of the house. However, the building remained vacant after 1999, and fell into a state of disrepair. Plaster was falling off the ceiling in the first floor rooms, and many floorboards had been pulled up.
In 2009 Halabi's companies went into bankruptcy. In June 2010 Cambridge House and its adjoining buildings, 90-93 Piccadilly (and 42 Half Moon Street), 95 Piccadilly (the former American Club) and 12 White Horse Street (rear section being vacant land), as well as 96-100 Piccadilly (on the other side of White Horse Street) were all offered for sale through property brokers Jones Lang Lasalle, collectively referred to as the Piccadilly Estate, for in excess of £150m. In June 2011 the site was acquired by the Reuben brothers for a reported £130m through their investment company, Aldersgate. In October 2012 applications were submitted for a full refurbishment into private homes (Numbers 94 and 95) and residential apartments (Numbers 90-93 and 42).
About the cache: You are looking for a magnetic, easy to find hard to grab without drawing too much unwanted attention to yourself.
NOTE:
**This cache is located within a EXTREMELY high muggle area and it is frequently patrolled by Police. Please avoid acting suspiciously whilst searching for it, and if challenged, explain about geocaching**
Team work and night time highly recommended due to regular tourists, office workers and locals passing through.
Due to continued compromised by beggers I have had to relocate this cache, I have moved it slightly (about 5 metres away) but considering to move again if problem continues. Fingers crossed it won't come to that.
Congratulations to 01582 for being FTF.